A recent survey placed the USA at a poor 30 out of 45 countries considered global destinations for expats, spurring a chorus of complaints from entrepreneurs who still consider the US is tops for business.

The HSBC survey is considered as one of the most reliable guides to expat relocation, but expatriates living and working in Boston and San Francisco are less than pleased about the poll’s conclusion. Over two-thirds of those surveyed in both cities claim that the USA – or at least their chosen location within it – gives an ideal business start-up environment.

The bad news which dragged America down to its unenviable overall survey position was that only half of expats nationwide agreed, and globally just 38 per cent rated the country as a business hub. The worst news, of course, is America’s dismal 30th place in the global destinations list.

It has to be said that the majority of expat workers in San Francisco and Boston are employed in the technology sector, with the cities now two of the prime job providers in the connected world. Globally, tech jobs represent just 10 per cent of expat positions, against an average of 30 per cent in the two cities.

Expat business owners in SF and Boston add up to 17 per cent of the survey’s respondents, as against the 11 per cent global average. Taking into account the whole of the USA, 60 per cent of those surveyed believed the USA gave better chances of learning new skills than their home countries.

The same percentage reported they were earning better salaries than at home, with America in general having one of the highest gross personal income in the world at around $130,000. Quality of life, however, was rated by only 43 per cent of expats in the US, lower than the global average of 52 per cent.

Australia and Canada came out well in lifestyle averages as well as in the important personal safety sector. Overall, the USA was shown to be a success story for those with entrepreneurial spirits and the will to make businesses succeed.